DC Council Heard Us! Let's Keep Telling Congress We Care About Victims of Crime!

We can really make this happen!

Thanks to your efforts we now have nearly 2,000 Initiative supporters from around the country! In just one week, nearly 200 individuals and several organizations have added their support to our Initiative.

On April 14th, DASH and fourteen other local and national organizations as well as crime survivors testified before the DC Council Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary sharing deep concern for victims services in the District and stating very clearly that the solution is to bring Crime Victims Compensation Funds back under DC Government control, under the DC Office of Victim Services. We were heard and we are gaining rapid support from city leaders.

But the change can only happen with the support of Congress. We have made significant headway so far but we must keep the momentum going. In the next few weeks, we will be meeting with Congressional leaders on victim’s rights as well as those on Committees with D.C. funding oversight. We need you to continue getting the word out to these Members of Congress.

In just two minutes, with one click of a button, you can email each key Member of Congress by clicking here.


After you sign the petition and send the email, you will see a couple of social network site links. This is a quick and easy way to help get the word out. You can easily click on the Facebook or Twitter button and share the petition with your friends, family, colleagues and others. You can also email the link as well.

Take Action! Sign our petition at change.org

We now have an Action petition at change.org!

If you support what we're trying to do, then let your voice be heard! Take action by signing the petition to be part of the DC Victims Services Initiative to ask the federal government to restore control of Crime Victims Compensation Funds to the District government in FY2011. 

The petition is hosted on the DASH page at change.org > CLICK HERE!

April 14th DC Office of Victim Services Budget Oversight Hearing Details

DASH created a flier to spread the word about the April 14th OVS Budget Oversight Hearing. Anyone is welcome to use the flier to distribute in the community. Click the image above to download a full page PDF version of the flier or click here.

Help spread the word! Share this page with family, friends and colleagues.  Use the Share links at the top of this page to post directly to your social networking sites or to email to your contacts.
 
If you have free time during the hours of the hearing, please come to show your support!

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Crime Victims' Rights: Fairness. Dignity. Respect. Funding.

In the coming days, communities throughout the nation will rally to honor and support victims of crime in observance of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (April 18th to 24th). In every community, including the District, there will be vigils, unity gatherings, and community fairs that trumpet a national theme of “Crime Victims' Rights: Fairness. Dignity. Respect.” 

Our DC Victim Services Initiative will be asking for these rights and more when 20 organizations and victims who support the Initiative plan to address the D.C. Council at the Office of Victim Services Budget Oversight Hearing on April 14.  Just four days before the launch of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, we will call on lawmakers to urge the federal government to establish a new tradition of giving District crime victims the fairness, dignity, respect—and funding—they rightfully deserve.

More details and a full press release to follow—stay tuned!

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Who is part of the Initiative?

The DC Victim Services Initiative is a collaborative effort. As of 4/9/10, the project partners are:
(listed alphabetically)

Asian/Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Center (DVRP)

Ayuda

Children’s National Medical Center

Deaf Abused Women's Network (DAWN)

DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence

* DC Rape Crisis Center

* District Alliance for Safe Housing (DASH)

House of Ruth

Men Can Stop Rape

* National Policy and Advocacy Council on Homelessness (NPACH)

Ramona’s Way

* Wendt Center for Loss and Healing

Wider Opportunities for Women (WOW)

Women Empowered Against Violence (WEAVE)

And more than 1,600 additional organizations and individuals from all over the country. Click a partner organization's name to visit their website and learn about what they do.

* Denotes a "coordinating partner" of the Initiative

DASH Update About the Initiative

District Alliance for Safe Housing (DASH), a coordinating partner of the DC Victim Services Initiative, send a community update about the Initiative's most recent accomplishments.  The text of the update is posted below. To see the web version of the Update or subscribe to DASH's news list, click here.

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With your support, we are on the brink of securing funds for
ALL victims of crime in the District of Columbia!


What We Have Accomplished Together
Let me start with a THANK YOU for all of your hard work -- and let you know that it's paying off. You filled out postcards and signed your name on the petition that we sent to Congress. Your voices are being heard, federal lawmakers are listening!


With your support and action, we are nearing a solution that will benefit all victim service organizations. Our partners and sister programs will avoid closing their doors or shutting down programs -- because you cared. Again, thank you!  But our work is not done yet.



The Road Ahead
Right now, all victim service organizations, including those providing safe housing and shelter, are caught in a broken system. Victims in D.C. are bearing the consequences. If we do not act to bring about changes now, things will get far worse.


There is a drastic depletion in federally-controlled funds that the city relies on to support critical victim services. As a result, there will be a 60% to 90% decrease in funding available to D.C. victim service organizations by Fiscal Year 2012.


The funding decrease will decimate services to people who experience domestic violence, sexual assault, child victimization, teen victimization, robbery, and homicide in the District. Services like counseling, case management, legal representation, safe housing and shelter, will disappear.


In 2009, federally-controlled funding paid for services to nearly 7,000 victims in D.C. If funding decreases as projected, only 400 victims will be served with these funds in 2012.


Worse than loss of services, organizations will be forced to shut down, and the end result will be a tragic loss of support for those who are in the most need.  Some may even lose their lives in the absence of critically needed victim services.

Your Role
Because Congress is listening to us, it is imperative that we continue sending our message to ensure victims of crime do not lose services in the coming years.


We want the District to regain control of victim services funding that is presently under federal control. State governments across the country routinely have control over this same funding in their jurisdictions. The District should be no different.


Here's what you can do to make a difference in the days and weeks ahead:


Attend the April 14th D.C. Council Hearing
Local victim service organizations and national partners will be testifying before the D.C. Council on April 14th. Come and show your support if you are local! (More details to follow.)


Contact Key Congressional Leadership
We may need you to make calls or send emails to key Members of Congress in the weeks to come. We will send you alerts when necessary and hope that you continue to help us.



Your support is the reason we have made such significant progress. If you continue to stand with us, we will be able to ensure continued services to thousands of victims in the coming years.



Best,

Larisa Kofman, J.D.
Public Policy Director
District Alliance for Safe Housing, Inc.
202-462-3274
202-462-3365 (fax)
lkofman@dashdc.org
www.dashdc.org
CFC #99008  ~  United Way #9391



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